The magic believed increased intensity throughout the season would take them from perennial finalists to possible champions, which made Monday's defeat to the Southern Steel that much more perplexing.
The Waikato-Bay of Plenty outfit are the only side in the ANZ Championship to have made the finals every year, and have twice been beaten finalists (2008 and 2010) - but have yet to win since the competition's debut in 2008. A concerted effort was made to approach training and pre-season with more intensity and hope it translated to the court but the Magic were strangely subdued in their 49-47 defeat to a Steel side that lost nine players from last season.
"That's what we have asked ourselves," skipper Laura Langman said. "We had a very quiet and low-energy game. We were really disappointed we didn't take the intensity we have had in training and pre-season into the game. There were some uncharacteristic errors. Whether mentally we weren't switched on ... we need to address that individually."
They will need to switch on quickly when they take on the Northern Mystics in Hamilton tonight. The Mystics were beaten finalists last season, have recruited well and started their season with a 51-47 defeat of a Central Pulse side that will be better than previous years under new coach Robyn Broughton. The Mystics have added English import Jade Clarke and former Cantabrian Charlotte Kight to an already strong squad that contains the likes of Anna Scarlett, Maria Tutaia, Kayla Cullen, Cathrine Latu and Temepara George.
They have won the last two games against the Magic by one goal, including their dramatic 43-42 win in last season's preliminary final in Hamilton, and tonight's match promises to be another close one.
